Break My Fall
by steve-newlin
Summary: If you had asked me a year ago if I believed in angels, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have pretended to ponder the question before finally declaring that no; I didn't believe that angels existed. Castiel/OC. Slightly AU; starts around 5x17. (Also posted on Mibba) (Rated M, just in case.)
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

If you had asked me a year ago if I believed in angels, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have pretended to ponder the question before finally declaring that no; I didn't believe that angels existed.

If you asked me that same question now, I'd probably give a small smile, turn my eyes down while my cheeks were tinged a warm pink, and I would most definitely say yes. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

I had never thought that one day I would be presented with an angel, straight from Heaven. Of course, I also didn't know that when I found this angel, I would also find love. My friends, my family… They didn't understand my love for Castiel. Of course, they didn't understand Castiel. Didn't know that he was an angel.

But I was fine with that, because I loved him. I loved the way he interacted with the world around him; I loved his crooked tie and his ever present trench coat.

I especially loved when I was able to see him, which unfortunately wasn't as much as I would have liked. Being an angel did have its downfalls. He had duties and responsibilities that required his attention. But without fail, he would come to me.

I knew it wasn't easy for him. He remained emotionless most of the time, afraid of any hint of anger or happiness or sadness, afraid that doubt would creep in slowly and tear apart everything he believed in.

But he saved one speck of emotion just for me, a speck I cherished with everything I had: a smile.

Crazy how a smile could just solidify everything for me, and make me believe that everything that happened wasn't just my imagination, that the nights spent together weren't just a dream.

A simple twitching of the lips and everything fell into place and I was happy, smiling a smile big enough for the two of us.

His smile, a rarity, got me through until I could see him again. It was amazing how a smile could mean so much. It reminded me of how far we had come from our awkward first meeting…


	2. Chapter 2

Normally, when someone entered the liquor store I worked at, I'd do a quick check to see if they at least looked old enough to be there. If they looked like they were a teenager, my eyes didn't leave them for a second. But if they did look old enough, I'd probably watch them for a minute before going back to whatever it was I may have been working at in that moment until they were ready to check out.

But that whole routine changed when he walked in. It was hard to describe him. Of course, I could go with the obvious and go with 'extremely attractive', but there was just something else about him. He appeared to be dressed in a suit of some sort, based on the pants and the wrinkled dress shirt, adorned with a dark blue tie that was crooked. The whole ensemble was topped off with a trench coat—did people still wear those? I suppose I just wasn't used to seeing them very often.

I'm not sure why I watched him so closely though. He definitely looked old enough to be there. I suppose it was just the way he carried himself. I could tell he had some purpose, but at the same time he looked lost… kind of like a puppy dog.

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my mouth when I watched him cock his head to the side as he stared at one of the shelves. I felt my cheeks warm immediately when he turned his gaze on me and I slapped a hand over my mouth, realizing what I had done.

"I'm sorry," I said once I'd pulled my hand away. I couldn't help but notice how blue his eyes were. I cleared my throat. "Do you need any help?"

He looked around the store for a moment before returning his gaze to me. I maintained our eye contact, even though I badly wanted to look away. This guy was intense, though I wasn't sure if it was the bad kind of intense, or the good kind.

"I… would like to get intoxicated," he finally said, the gravelly sound of his voice seeming to make him even more attractive to me. Seriously, who was this guy? "I was told this was the place to go."

"Well, you're definitely in the right place," I said, looking him over quickly. "I take it you don't drink regularly."

"No," he said. "I am finding myself in a situation where I think alcohol may help a bit."

"I think we've all been in that position," I said, nodding my head. I stepped around the counter and moved to him. "Have any preferences?"

"Something strong," he said, eyeing the bottles warily. "My previous drinking experiences did not seem to affect me at all."

"Aren't you just lucky?" I said, moving along the shelves. I pulled a bottle off the shelf and brought it to the man. "But I think this will produce the desired effect."

He took the bottle out of my hands and looked it over.

"I think I am going to need more than this one bottle," he said and I looked at him in surprise, raising my eyebrows.

"I really think one bottle should do the trick," I said. "Hell, about a quarter of that bottle should do the trick."

"Trust me," he said. "I will need more than this one."

"If you say so," I said, going back to grab the rest of the bottles. I carried them over to the counter, and the man followed me setting the bottle he was holding next to the rest of them.

I went to the register and rang him up before giving him his ridiculously high total. He looked confused for a moment before reaching into the pocket of his trench coat and pulling out some cash. He handed it to me and I counted it.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly are you planning on drinking so heavily?" I asked as I placed the money in the register.

"It's… complicated," he said. At that moment the door opened and I looked over to see my coworker, Emily, walk in. I looked around at the clock to check the time, realizing that my shift was over now.

"Would you like some help carrying these bottles to your car?" I asked, turning back to the man.

"Car?" he said, tilting his head to the side again. I smiled; he was still reminding me of a lost puppy.

"Did you walk here?"

"I think I can get these bottles on my own," he said after a moment.

"At least let me put them in some bags," I said. "It'll help a little bit."

I pulled out some brown paper bags and put the bottles inside carefully.

"Can I ask your name?" I asked. I could hear Emily in the back room of the store, putting her things away.

"Castiel," he said.

"That's a unique name," I said, smiling. "I like it. I'm Darcy."

I pushed the now full bags towards Castiel with another smile.

"It's nice to meet you," he said as he lifted the bags from the counter before heading out the door.

"Did you get that guys number?" Emily asked from behind me as the door closed. I glanced at her and shook my head. "Too bad. Maybe if you're lucky he'll pop up again somewhere."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, looking back at the door. At the time, I had thought that that possibility was a lost cause. I had no idea that I would see him again, sooner rather than later.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is not the liquor store."

I sat up in my bed quickly, a shrill scream escaping my mouth right before I fell onto the floor. I scrambled around quickly trying to find some sort of weapon, my hand wrapping around a discarded shoe as I stood up. I held the shoe out in front of me, as if by some miracle it would protect me.

My breathing was heavy as I stared at my intruder: a familiar face, head tilted to the side, dressed in a suit and trench coat.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mumbled, before saying more loudly. "How did you get in here?"

He looked around the room.

"I thought this was the liquor store," he said, eyes meeting mine after a moment.

"Why would you think that?" I asked. "I don't even live that close to the liquor store."

"Well… you're here," he said. I looked at him in disbelief.

"That's because I live here."

"My mistake," he said.

"Well?" I said, getting annoyed. I had just fallen asleep when this had all started. "You can leave now."

"Right," he said, but he just stood there. I sighed, walking past him to get to my bedroom door. I opened it quickly and turned to look back at Castiel, but he was gone. There was no sign that he had even been here.

"What the _hell_ is going on?"

"So you remember that guy who came in here the other day and pretty much bought out the whole store?" I asked Emily. Today was one of the days that we worked together, and normally she was the one telling the… interesting?... stories. Anyways, today was my day for the storytelling.

"You mean the attractive one whose number you didn't get?" she asked in return. I rolled my eyes and nodded my head. "What about him?"

"Well, he somehow managed to get in my apartment." Emily's eyes widened.

"And?" she urged and I sighed.

"I don't even know how," I said. "I went to make him leave and I just turned around and he was gone?"

"What, did he climb out your window?"

"Doubtful," I said. "My apartment is pretty high up and there's no fire escape at that window."

"So, he just disappeared?" she asked.

"I have no idea," I said. "I'm still trying to figure that out. I checked all the windows and the front door and everything was locked. The whole thing is just spooky."

"Definitely," Emily agreed. "Though, I think if that man popped up unexpectedly in my room, I would not mind at all."

I rolled my eyes again, before saying, "You're unbelievable."

I had close up the store on my own that night. Emily begged me to let her leave early because she said, and I quote, "a hot date." It didn't help that I was still spooked about the whole strange man appearing in my apartment thing.

"Darcy."

I was not the least bit surprised when I let out a shriek and dropped my keys that I had been using to try and lock the store.

"_What_ are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?" I asked, glaring at Castiel who was apparently quickly trying to become my stalker.

He looked confused for a moment before answering.

"No," he said. "I apologize; I seem to be frightening you."

"You think?" I asked. I checked to make sure the store was locked before I started to quickly walk in the opposite direction of Castiel toward my car. When I reached my car, I turned to see Castiel standing there, looking like he was struggling with something.

I groaned loudly, knowing that deep inside, I wanted to make sure he was okay. I had a habit of going against my better judgment. I took a few cautious steps toward him before speaking.

"Are you alright?" He looked at me for a moment before looking away. Was he… nervous?

My gut was telling me to run, run away! But I kept pushing forward, taking a few more steps.

"This is difficult for me," he finally said. "I don't have good "people skills," but I was told…I was wondering if I may buy you a drink of some sort."

"Are you asking me out?" I asked disbelief clearly evident in my tone.

"Yes," Castiel answered, looking quite accomplished.

"And you expect me to say yes, after you just magically appeared in my room in the middle of the night yesterday?"

"It wasn't magic," he said.

"Then what was it?"

"A mistake."

"That's it?" I asked. "A mistake? And you're sorry and want to buy me a drink?"

"Yes, that sounds about right," he said. I don't know what it was, what instinct in my body was telling me to just go with this, to just accept everything.

"Fine," I said. I pointed to my car. "Get in. I'm picking the place and you're buying as many drinks as I tell you to."


	4. Chapter 4

I had to hand it to Castiel—the man could drink. I watched as he downed shot after shot. I did a few, but definitely not as many as him.

"You better slow down," I said as he placed an empty shot glass down on the table between us. We had opted for a booth for privacy, though I don't really know what we would need privacy for. I guess I just didn't want to deal with anyone else. "I'm not carrying you out of here if you pass out."

"Why would I pass out?" he asked, staring at me with curiosity in his surprisingly clear eyes. I shook my head.

"You are strange," I said. I watched Castiel throw back yet another shot. "So, are you gonna tell me how you got into my apartment?"

He set the now empty shot glass next to the other ones, his eyes meeting mine briefly. He looked around the room, almost as if maybe the answer was hiding in one of the dark corners of the bar.

"I—I'm," he started, but stopped exhaling loudly through his nose. "It was a mistake."

I was about to sigh, roll my eyes, and ask for a better explanation than that, but something in his eyes was telling me that that was the best he could come up with. Something was telling me that he was sincere; that he was sorry.

"I apologize for the intrusion," he said when I remained silent, only confirming what I had been thinking.

We were both silent for a bit, finishing our drinks.

"I think I should head home," I said. "If I drink any more, I won't be able to drive."

"You shouldn't drive anyways," Castiel said, staring at me intently. I shrugged.

"I'm just down the road," I said. "And I didn't drink much. You can do a sobriety test on me if you don't believe me."

I stood up pulling on the light jacket I had been wearing earlier. I watched as Castiel watched me before he hastily reached into a pocket in his trench coat, pulling out some money. He put some of it on the table before pocketing the rest.

I headed out of the bar, aware that Castiel was right behind me as I made a beeline for my car. I turned on him quickly, and he somehow managed to stop fast enough that he didn't run into me.

"Do you think you're following me close enough?" He tilted his head to the side, which I was starting to realize was a common action of his.

"Sorry," he said, and I could practically see the light bulb in his head turn on when he realized he was too close and he took a step back. I shook my head.

"You are so strange," I said quietly. I turned around to unlock my car and opened the door before turning back around to thank Castiel for the drinks. I jumped slightly when I realized he was gone. I looked around me in every direction, but there was no sign that Castiel had even been there.

I sighed, locking and closing my door. Maybe this was just a sign that I may have had a little too much to drink. At least my apartment wasn't far away.

I didn't see Castiel again for a few days. He showed up at the liquor store when I was working with Emily again. I didn't even see him come in. It was Emily's elbow pressed hard against my ribs that made me look around and realize that he was there, standing at the counter watching me.

"Well look who's decided to magically make an appearance," I said.

"It's not magic," he said as I approached the counter to be a bit closer to him. I didn't want Emily to hear everything we were saying. "I only walked through the door."

"I wasn't sure I was going to see you again," I said. "You sort of vanished on me the other night."

"Sorry," he said. "I've been told I suck at goodbyes."

"I'll say," I said, glancing at Emily who was pretending to be occupied with some papers on the back counter. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for the drinks."

"It was no problem," he said. "I've actually come here… I was told that I should, well, I wanted to ask you on a date. Maybe we could get dinner? I was told that was a typical thing to do on a date."

"Well, whoever you're getting your information from, they've got that right," I said, smiling. "Maybe you should get some tips on how to leave someone at the end of the night instead of seeming to vanish into thin air."

"Yes, I suppose I should do that," he said. "When would be an appropriate time to have this date, if you are willing, then?"

"Hmm," I said, thinking. "Well, I have to work all night, but if you really insist on taking me out, then you can pick me up tomorrow night. Seven work for you?"

"Yes, that will be fine," Castiel said. The corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. It almost looked like a smile, but it wasn't. He was definitely strange, but something about him had piqued my interest.

"Then I guess I will see you tomorrow," I said. "I'm assuming you can find your way to my apartment."

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem," he said, not picking up on the joke. "I look forward to tomorrow, Darcy."

I watched as he left the liquor store before turning to look at Emily who was now openly staring.

"I can't believe you got a date with him," she said. "I expect lots of details."

I rolled my eyes, already thinking about tomorrow. I really had no idea what I was starting.


End file.
